1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a marine vessel that is propelled by an outboard motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
So-called cruiser type marine vessels to be used for leisure, etc., are known. An example of such marine vessels is a marine vessel that is propelled by an outboard motor (for example, refer to Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H09-207888). This marine vessel is propelled by an outboard motor disposed outside the hull, so that a space for locating a driving engine is not necessary inside the hull. Therefore, in the marine vessel, a space for installing various devices and a space for relaxing are wider than in other types of marine vessels with substantially the same size.
A marine vessel according to the above-described prior art has an outboard motor mounting portion provided on the transom. An outboard motor provided in the marine vessel is mounted to the outboard motor mounting portion. The upper side, the front side, and both left and right sides of the outboard motor are covered by an outboard motor cover. The marine vessel has stern steps provided, respectively, on the left and right sides of the outboard motor and arranged to allow an occupant to sit thereon. The outboard motor cover cuts off noise of the outboard motor, and is used as a table.
However, in the marine vessel according to the above-described prior art, no aisle connecting the stern steps disposed on the left and right sides of the outboard motor is provided. Therefore, for example, when an occupant moves from one stern step to the other stern step, the occupant must move from one stern step to a deck and then move from the deck to the other stern step.
In addition, in the marine vessel according to the above-described prior art, an outboard motor is mounted to an outboard motor mounting portion provided on the transom. Therefore, the space between the transom and the outboard motor becomes narrow. Therefore, a flow of water flowing from a water drain surface of the lower portion of the transom is directly caught by a propeller of the outboard motor and air drawing (bubble biting) easily occurs.